Memories of the past!!!

She saw her child fall down while playing and instinctively called out "Rohan". He turned back, smiled and said "Don't worry, Ma! I'm fine." The smile on his face took her years back when she had seen another face with the same smile, naughty, teasing and alluring. There she was sitting with him by the beach feeling very fidgety. There was something that she had to say to him before... before it was too late. But with the setting sun she saw another day being wasted... This was a daily phenomenon. With the sunrise she would see her hopes escalate and by evening with the sunset she would see those very hopes crash as she would tell herself tomorrow is another day. And, thus endless weeks had passed by without him knowing that there was more than what met his eyes, the picture that he was made to see was not quite complete. Some colours were missing but she thought she would fill them up soon enough.

But, today was gonna be different! She was definitely gonna speak to him as she realised she had better lay her cards on the table before moving on, before taking an irreversible decision.... that of choosing her partner with whom she would spend her life with. She looked at him, the evening glow of the sun on his face. He looked extremely relaxed but this is just how he always was with her. Relaxed, calm and above all content! But she wondered if she was reading too much into it, if she was the only one who wanted this to last forever and maybe even beyond that! She was thinking of all the times she had met him. Her emotions had varied from extreme indifference to.... Is this love, she was thinking? He had become an important.... No, he was the most important part of her life.... How? When? She never knew. If only she had, maybe she wouldn't have allowed it to happen! Moving on without him would mean cutting off a limb for her. She would be lost without those phone calls, those stupid jokes, those evening walks... and she very well knew it. But she had to tell him what he meant to her. She knew not how he would react... But for now it was all or nothing!!!

Because if she didn't speak to him today, she would be doomed to spend the rest of her life with a stranger. A stranger who didn't matter to her! So why couldn't her partner be this dear friend of hers? Of course it could be him!! It could be him if not for... that pretty colleague of his.

She wondered if he had anything for her or that pretty colleague from office. She figured out that he may be attracted to her but when it came to love... it was a different ball game altogether. All that he shared with her was probably...LOVE!! All those fears, insecurities, goals, ambitions, happiness or for that matter anything worth even a mention! If only he would realise, she thought. She knew it was time that she took a chance and found out if she was only a friend or perhaps more than that! She knew that their friendship was at stake!!! She shut her eyes and tried to say something but nothing would come out from her mouth. Her brain felt numb because of the overpowering feelings she had for him.

They were both silent until he said, "Come, let's go to the same place." and winked at her. And minutes later, they were at the same table of the same coffee shop which they had always taken. She was so upset with herself at being silent one more time. For Christs' sake, he was her friend first and she was supposed to be comfortable.... but something was wrong. She realised something seemed to be amiss as he was never so silent. Or had never been that way with her! He seemed to be thinking really hard as she ordered their drinks. Suddenly, he looked at her and said, "I'd love to grow old with you. So, are you game?" She turned to face him and said, "You're sick!" He looked puzzled with the answer and asked her to explain. She only smiled quietly and asked, "Couldn't this have happened before?" From that day on till today, they had always been together, seen the good times and the bad times with each other. Through all the ups and downs of life she had been with him, for him. It just made her feel fuzzy deep inside her heart when she felt a tug at her dress.

It was Rohan saying "Ma, I'm hungry!" She felt a tug at her heart as she reached out to hug him. As she picked Rohan up, he came through the main door and hugged them both. This was the complete picture! He was just the same, like he was so many years ago as he asked, "So, are we going out for dinner today?" Time had perhaps changed the way she looked. He had maybe lost a little hair and his spectacles seemed to be getting thicker with each passing year. But what mattered was the person that he was! The essence of him had still not changed; the vivaciousness, the laughter, the jokes; all in all the core of him was still the reason why she loved him today too.

And she was thinking, "This is just so perfect! To think of it, I had almost cut him off from my life! Thank God... I didn't!!" This is when he interrupted with "Thank God... We're still together. You'd almost given up on me." And she fell in love with him all over again with the man who was sitting in front of her, her husband of 5 years but her soulmate always!!!